Cupid
by blue wigged thespian
Summary: I originally love Valentine's Day, but the day I met her, it was like Cupid finally put me in a wonderfully comfortable chokehold. And I couldn't be happier about it. puckentine - alternate reality


**Edit 8/8: Okay this has already been moved onto the S&C fandom, and even though it has more Victorious characters than iCarly, it still has an alternate reality, since Sam does move to LA. So it's just in one fandom guys. Hope you still like it.**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Sam & Cat._**

* * *

I always hated the pharmacy.

I don't like drugs, but I do like the candy they serve. But in particular, they start handing out the Valentine's day décor a little early. While I enjoy the holiday because of my last name and the chocolate, pharmacies bother me.

My mom tells me I have to pick up my brother's anti-psychotics since no one else is around to keep him sedated for a while. He's mentally disturbed and does a lot of crazy things that a 'normal' human wouldn't do. But I still love him as a brother; he keeps me entertained from time to time when he isn't being his usual paranoid self.

I stand in a particularly long line - waiting for the stupid medicine, until a rush of blond hair attracts me. I stare at the person whose blond hair belongs to but I couldn't make out the face. I know it's a girl, though; no guy has curves or wears boots, or even has long, curly hair like she does.

I turn around, blushing when the owner of the blond hair turns around, and stare at the person's back. I'm the last one in line, so I don't notice anything until I feel someone's presence and I immediately turn around to see the owner of the blond hair. A rush of familiarity rushes through me, and before I can stop myself—

"Oh my god - you're Sam," I shriek, causing everyone in the pharmacy to look at me weirdly. I blush embarrassingly.

"Sam I am," the blond smiles genuinely.

"Sorry, I'm just a fan of your webshow, and it's surprising to see you in busy ol' Hollywood, and... gosh, I don't usually act like this. I live in star central and all." I blush again, after realizing that I'm blabbing about complete nonsense. I simply can't control myself when I'm around stars, especially stars that I have more than a celebrity crush on. "So, what are you doing here in Hollywood?"

"I moved here a few months after Carly moved to Italy," Sam explains. "I thought a new scenery in a new area would be nice. Plus, my mom has a new boyfriend… and decided, why not move to Hollywood? So that's why I'm here."

"Ah," I giggle. "So do you like it here?"

"I guess… beats Seattle's rainy weather," the blond answers. "I'm also starting at a new school—"

"Is it Hollywood Arts?" I ask.

She shakes her head no, and I cast my head down. Damn it, it would be so much better if she did go, that way we could be awesome friends and I would introduce her to my friends, who would instantly like her… except for Jade, because she didn't like Tori on her first day. "I go to a school named Northridge… I don't know, it's near my house."

"Oh, because I go to Hollywood Arts and you would meet my friends, so you don't have to feel so foreign," I explain with a smile. "It's also a school for talented individuals who want to act, or sing, or dance. Except for my friend, Trina, who can't do any of those… I thought they wanted talented individuals, but after my crazy coconut milk-drinking teacher told us the story of how she got in, then I start to understand. But she's pretty though, I guess."

Sam laughs at my little story. "Well I don't know. I probably can't do any of those—"

"You're a web show actress; of _course_ you can act!" I exclaim a little too happily. "You'll fit right in. But since you're going to Northridge…"

"Yeah," the blond sighs. "Well I got to go... my mom needs her ointment."

"Yeah," I frown a little, and turn around towards the exit, but then she stops me with a hand on my wrist. I turn around and give her a look.

"My mistakes, I forgot to ask for your name."

I giggle suggestively. "Cat. Cat Valentine."

-x-

The next day, my friends ask me why I'm so happy today. I'm hugging people... random people, and I went as far as kissing my friend Tori on the forehead. My friends normally accept and cherish my weirdness, but today, everyone tries to wonder why I'm so happy. Well I met a web show star yesterday, and I kind of like her. What else can I say? Not even bibble can make me this happy, but that's because I haven't had the delicious snack in a while, and my withdrawal-related groaning and irritability disappeared.

No one asks me on the issue, except for investigative Tori, who insists on knowing everything about all of her friends. "What's got you so happy?"

"It's a new day!" I lie, with my characteristic smile and giggle. "It's sunny, and beautiful, don't you think?"

Unfortunately, the Latina sees right through me. "Alright, who is he?"

Why does she assume it's a he? "There's no 'he'. I'm just really happy."

"Right," Tori raises an eyebrow suspiciously. "Well, I'll see you at Sikowitz's class."

"Bye Tori story!" I rhyme pathetically, and she walks away, giggling a little. After she leaves my peripheral vision, I exhale, and frown. I feel like an idiot, lying to one of my closest friends like that. I don't have the strength to tell anyone that I met a web star that I have more than platonic feelings for, and that _no_ one knows that I prefer girls. It's just… I never felt the need to tell them, so I pretend I like guys, date them, and 'enjoy their company'.

I can't tell Robbie; he likes me more than he should. I can't tell anyone else in the group, since they already think I'm weird and air-headed. How would they take it if they found out that I'm a lesbian? I can tell Jade; she'll most likely won't care, despite her saying a few times that I'm her best friend. Although I don't think she'll understand my crush on one of the biggest web stars of the 21st century.

What interrupts me from my train of thought is a vibration in my jeans pocket. I look at my PearPhone and see that Sam texts me a few seconds ago, but the content makes me grin. Despite us knowing each other as acquaintances, she simply asks me if we can hang out tomorrow on Saturday. I smile and text back, with a small 'Kay Kay', and a wink emoticon.

The wink face was too suggestive, I think quickly after sending the message to her.

-x-

"I thought you wouldn't accept my invitation," Sam simply says modestly, sitting across from me at the Japanese restaurant Nozu.

"I would never do that," I smile at her, with a small blush creeping on my face. "You're very nice."

"Thanks," she blushes. "You're nice too."

I giggle, and almost slap myself for doing that. I do it a lot, sometimes unconsciously, especially around people I like genuinely. "So… how are you enjoying Northridge so far?"

"It's worse than my last school!" She answers. "Everyone's so… stuck up. I got coffee dumped on me by some girl because I'm new, and then got in trouble for fighting her. And everyone tells me that my show is complete garbage. Where as in my old school, I was happy to escape those imbeciles who kept asking me when the next episode is coming, and I have to repeat that we stopped making episodes because they were stupid to notice that Carly moved."

Coffee dumped on her? Sounds like a thing Jade would do… oh wait, that's exactly what she did to Tori on her first day. "I'm sorry that happened to you. And your show is awesome. It makes me laugh, and my brother loves it too."

She laughs at me, although it's more serious, since my brother is crazy. "Yeah, we're all crazy in our own way. Carly's older brother is very childlike, so I'm used to craziness. So tell me about you. I'm interested to know the girl behind the red hair."

I feel my face getting redder by the minute, as red as my hair. "I have six friends, I sing and act, I have a talent for costume making and stage makeup, sometimes I write songs, I have a mentally disturbed brother, and my parents are somewhat rich. And my favorite color is red, and I _love_ red velvet cupcakes. Your turn."

We both giggle, almost in a higher octave, which makes one of the customers look at us. "I don't know if my interests would beat that... I have two best friends, I have a weird friend who likes to take his shirt off, my mom's a jailbird, I own a motorcycle, and I _hate_ the word panties. I like the color blue, and I love ham... or food in general."

"Sam loves ham," I rhyme stupidly. "That's so funny."

She blushes, with a shy smile on her face. "Yeah, I guess."

It suddenly gets quiet, and I find myself shifting uncomfortably in my seat. I want to say something, but I don't know what. There's so much to know about the blond beauty sitting in front of me, but what can I simply ask? I feel like if I open my mouth, then I would say something completely stupid. "Want to get out of here?" She asks.

I grin as a reply, and we both leave the busy restaurant. "Sometimes I miss rainy Seattle. When I'm here, I don't really feel… in. I mean, I never expected Northridge girls to be so mean, and the guys to be so… stupid."

"That's Northridge students for you," I deadpan. "But if you want to, we can hang out, and maybe meet my friends so you can feel better about moving here."

"That seems fun," she smiles, and I see a faint blush creeping onto her face. I think it's cute how she's blushing and failing miserably to hide it. "But what I really want to do right now is get to know you a little more."

Now it's my turn to blush. "I guess so."

-x-

I offer Sam some fat cakes and place the Valentine's Day DVD inside the player. We decide to spend the rest of the day watching movies and we start with a movie of my choice, since it is my house we decide to go to. Since the holiday is coming up and I feel like watching a romantic comedy, I put it in and wait for the movie to play.

"Uh, Cat," the blond stares at me weirdly.

"Yes?"

"Did you press play?" She asks. I almost smack myself on the forehead and walk over to the DVD player to press play.

"Sorry - I have my blond moments sometimes," I giggle.

Sam frowns playfully. "That's just offensive. I'm a blond."

I frown, realizing I probably hurt her feelings. "I'm really sorry about that, I just—"

She chuckles. "Don't worry about it, I'm just playing with you."

I nod, and face the television screen and watch the starting credits of the movie. I notice that Sam droops her left arm on my shoulder, and I lean my head against her shoulder. I feel my face getting hotter, but I ignore it.

Within an hour of the movie, I hear rapid knocks and the doorbell repeatedly being pressed. I jump out of her grip and pause the movie.

"Stay here, the bathroom's on the left away from the stairs," I tell her.

She nods, and I run towards the front door, wondering who is the person interrupting my date—I mean, day, with someone I genuinely like. I look through the peephole, but before I confirm who the person is, her booming angry voice elicits through the silence of my house.

"Cat, I know you're in there! Answer the door!"

I jump immediately; it sounds like she's been crying. I start to worry before putting my hand on the doorknob: did she get into another argument with Beck? Is something alright at home? I reluctantly open the door, and she pushes me to the side, waltzing inside my house and plotting herself on the couch.

"You're _always_ welcome at my house," I mutter sarcastically, and walk softly to the angry dark-haired girl. She glares at the floor, with evident tears on her cheeks. Her eyes are bloodshot, and her face is ridden of makeup.

"What's wrong?" I ask her, putting my hands on her shoulders. She glances up, and casts her head down again.

"I got into another fight with Beck," Jade reveals, with a broken voice. "But this time, he broke up with me."

"What happened?" I gasp. Normally she would impulsively dump him whenever she gets jealous over the countless girls breathing down his back, or any girl, that isn't me (or Tori… or _even_ Trina) actually. But it's rare for the casual 'break-ups' and 'make-ups' to take a role reversal.

She sighs, and wipes her eyes with the back of her hands. "I don't know… we were arguing over something stupid and then the argument turned into a screaming fest. I yelled out something, he breaks up with me, and I left before he said anything else."

"What did you say?" I ask.

"I told him that I love someone else," the goth whispers almost inaudibly. "I couldn't keep lying to him. He's been such a good boyfriend for so many years that I just had to say it. The guilt was eating me alive and since we were screaming at each other about how worthless our relationship has been, I thought, why not."

I sigh. "Who is it? The _person_, I mean."

Jade shakes her head, trying to prevent herself from answering the question. "Just tell me, who is it? I won't tell anyone, or no one, and _definitely_ not our group of friends. Not unless you want them to know. I'll also make sure to not post it on TheSlap. Is it someone we know?"

She nods. I almost have an idea of who it is, but she might choke me to death if I say who I suspected it was. I lick my lips nervously, and exhale slowly. "Is it... Is it Tori?" I almost shield myself away from her as she shoots her head up in surprise. "Please don't hurt me, I just guessed—"

"Yes," she admits, removing my arms from my face, forcing me to look at her. "I love her. Ever since I saw her at that showcase when she sang for her sister. I just - I couldn't admit it to myself because I already gave her the impression that I hated her. And you know my reputation at that school."

I try to find the words to say right now, but I'm blank. I have my best friend admitting that she loves another girl, and the girl I really like is upstairs wondering what I'm doing. "Uh… maybe you can talk to her, ask her to the Valentine's dance or something?"

"Why the _hell_ would I do that?" She growls.

"I'm pretty sure she likes you back," I answer as truthfully as I can. Trust me when I say that I think Tori's fixation on trying to make Jade her friend has more meaning than it should. "Look at it this way - she's been pestering you to be her friend ever since her first day. Don't you think she would—"

"No of course not," she paces back and forth in my foyer. "She has the impression that I'm a cold-hearted bitch."

"She knows it's a front," I reassure her, flinching at the sudden obscenity.

The dark-haired girl blinks a couple of times, and stops pacing. "What if she doesn't know that?"

"Oh come on Jade," I frown uncharacteristically. "Everyone from our group knows that you aren't _truly_ mean. She picked it up quicker than we did, but yeah."

"I guess you're right… when did you become an expert at this?"

"Uh… beginner's luck?" I say innocently.

"Uh huh," she shrugs. "I'm just going to go… I'll see you tomorrow or something."

Without a reply from me, she rushes out of the door, and I feel bad for not being available for my best friend at a time like this. The both of us, _surprisingly_, are going through an identity crisis, and if I'm not mistaken, Valentine's day is next week.

I walk back upstairs and I saw Sam texting furiously on her phone with a somewhat angry face. "You seem like you're mad at your phone."

She jumps, and looks at me apprehensively. "Oh, I didn't see you there. I was just texting my mom again - she's being annoying again."

"Does she need you?"

She shakes her head no. "I told her I'm hanging out with my new friends so she would shut up and stop texting me for a few hours."

I smile. "Should we continue the movie?"

She hesitates, but nods. We take our previous spot and continue to watch the movie, until I hear the door open and close. In a fit of an impulse, my parents almost kick her out after seeing us curled up in front of the television. I sigh and walk her over to the bus stop since she doesn't want to call her mom to pick her up.

"So, did you have fun?" I ask.

"I thought you knew that already," Sam replies, but I don't really comprehend so I raise an eyebrow in question. She sighs, and says "Yes."

"Good, because we should do it again. And I'll make you meet my friends," I assure her, while she blushes. "Come on, it won't be that bad!"

"I guess, but you have to tell me when," the blond smiles back. In the sudden silence, I find myself looking into her eyes; I've never noticed how blue they were. They are like an ocean of blue, just staring back at me with friendliness and possibly—correct me if I'm wrong, dear mind—attraction. Maybe; I'm just imagining things. However, I don't know that we are leaning in until the bus comes and I hear the rustle of the doors opening.

"The bus is here, back to _stupid_ Northridge," she announces, breaking me from my hypnosis.

I pretend to frown, while she laughs at me. "Like I said, call me whenever you want to hang out."

"I will." She enters the fairly empty bus and it drives away before I get a chance to wave at her through the window.

-x-

The Valentine's Dance at Hollywood Arts happens all the time, and most of the couples attend them. Also some people perform love-themed songs and I happen to be the_unlucky_ contestant this year. It's been a while since I've done something like this, but, I take the opportunity before they handed it to Tori. She's my friend, but sometimes, I feel that she _always_ gets the leads in plays and the moment to shine during school dances.

I try to conduct some potential songs; it doesn't have to be about loving someone but since it's Valentine's day, it has to do with love in general. But I can _barely_ write songs without being distracted, even in the comfort of my home, and the Asphalt Café is not the best place, I start to realize. But with some noise cancellation headphones…

I already have part of a chorus when I see Tori approaching my table, removing my large headphones. "Hey Cat," she greets happily.

"Hi," I reply with more happiness and enthusiasm. "Sorry I can't talk right now, I'm trying to think of a song for the Valentine's Dance on February 14th."

"Aww," she pouts. "What do you have so far?"

"Part of a chorus?" I frown. "I can't do this. I barely have a name for it."

"I bet you will have an awesome song before Valentine's Day and I'll be cheering you on. Plus you don't _exactly_ have to write it," she reassures. Although she has her faults, Tori can really be a good friend. "Hey - can I tell you something?"

"Okay!" I reply.

"That means don't tell anyone, or no one, or posting it on TheSlap," Tori stresses."_Especially_ Jade; she mustn't know about this."

"You have my word," I say, a little annoyed. One slip-up and everyone's on your case about it. Ever since Jade told me about how she loved Tori, I've been making it my best to keep it case-sensitive, and not mention it to any of our friends, or anyone in general. I don't even make a post on The Slap about it; after remembering the time when Jade finds herself on satellite almost picking her nose, I've learned my lesson on keeping secrets, especially after she made me eat snow peas… _uncooked_ snow peas. "Your secret is case-sensitive; safe with me."

She stares down at the table, biting her lip, trying to figure out what to say. I sense the same look Jade gave me when she told me she loved Tori, and I almost have an idea about what she wanted to tell me. "I - I think—"

Before she can finish, Jade automatically sits next to her, in a better mood, but still glum over yesterday. She starts digging in her lunch but after noticing the silence, she glowers, "Well, you can continue your conversation!"

Tori and I stare at each other, trying to find out what to say since I've already figured out what she wanted to say. "Uh - Cat, are you going to the Valentine's Dance with Robbie?" She asks me, with a wink. She knows _perfectly_ I'm not going to the dance with Robbie.

"No, of course not," I reply in monotone. "I have a song to write and I really have no interest in taking one of my best friends to the dance."

"Didn't you two already hook up or something?" Jade asks randomly.

"I told him I only wanted to be friends," I frown. "I don't like him like that, and he understands the issue at hand."

"Whatever," Jade mumbles.

"Are you going to the dance?" Tori asks her, causing her to blush not-so-discreetly.

"I don't even _like_ Valentine's Day," she growls.

"Well, _I_ like Valentine's Day," Tori shrugs with a smile. "Love is in the air whenever Valentine's Day comes around.

"Actually no, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and carbon dioxide are in the air," the curly haired weirdo Sinjin chimes in, popping his head between Tori and Jade with a smile. "Love isn't something you _breathe_."

"For the first time, ever, I _actually_ agree with Sinjin," Jade says with flabbergast. Tori turns around and glowers at him.

"Well it's true!" He scurries away into the crowd, leaving us alone again. I know I would never get my song done with the two people who love each other bickering at each other.

"Hasn't Beck done anything for you on Valentine's Day?" Tori wonders out loud, getting a glare from the dark haired girl.

"He doesn't need to do anything," she replies bitterly. "So Cat, what are you singing for the dance on Thursday?"

"I don't know yet!" I say defensively, tired of the interruptions around me. I have barely any time to finish the song, and I can't stand watching my two friends try to put up a front, and act like they will never tell each other they love each other. "I need to go." I pack up all of my things and left the Asphalt Cafe in a rush.

-x-

After six hours of dedicating the rest of my day in this stupid song, I drop my pen and look over it, then crumpling the paper and throwing it in the wastebasket next to me. I'm stuck, and nothing is helping.

I've been avoiding all calls from Jade and Tori all day; it's hard trying to finish something in general due to my attention deficiency, but I couldn't stand all of the… ahem, sexual _frustration_ going on between the two. Ever since Jade told me yesterday, I know for a fact that Tori felt the same way, and she indirectly, possibly unknowingly, reveals it as well. As I hear another vibration, I groan silently and check the phone, where I see missed texts from the both of them. However, there's one text from Sam, telling me to call her.

She's my only exception, I think as I dial her number and wait patiently, mimicking the dial tone.

"I thought you would never call," she answers quick-wittedly, causing me to blush a little.

"Sorry - I've been busy, with uh, songwriting. Or lack thereof," I say, beating myself up mentally for the small stammers.

"Am I interrupting you at all?" She asks. "You can just call later—"

"I wouldn't have called you if I was still busy," I giggle. "So... what happened? You need a friend?"

"Yeah, kind of," she replies sullenly. "Uh... okay you're going to think this is weird and creepy, but I'm in front of your house already. I just _really_ needed to talk and I assumed—"

"I'll open the door for you," I say quickly, and hang up the phone before running down the stairs and opening the front door. The blond picks her head up, and I can see the sadness in her face that I detected over the phone; her eyes are as red as my hair, and there are some leftover tear streaks on her cheeks.

"What happened?" I ask, grabbing Sam's hand and pulling her into my embrace, without thinking of the consequences. I blush slightly as I feel her arms wrap around me, hugging back.

"I had a fight," she starts. "And before you say it's unlike me to be this sad over a fight, it was a big fight between my best friend."

I let go of her, and welcome her in. Sam immediately sits on the love seat, while I close my front door and stand in front of her, keeping my distance. The blond pouts, and pats the love seat in an attempt for me to sit next to her. I sigh and oblige, and sit next to her reluctantly. I almost jump as I feel her head rest against my shoulder.

"What was it about?" I ask.

"I don't know. Before I tell you what happened, I just want you to know that… that Carly and I were _more_ than friends for a while." I feel a tinge of jealousy after hearing that, but I give her the gesture to continue, despite my growing anger. "I was telling her all about Northridge, and how they were treating me. I also mentioned you and then she started interrogating me out of nowhere. Normally she wouldn't do this, so I ask her what's going on. Then we get in a fight in which she tells me she cheated on me with some Italian dude, so I had to leave her. I knew long distance wouldn't work, especially with the male population in Italy."

I gasp; "Why would she do that if she was still _with_ you?"

"Apparently the long distance was making her _lonely_," Sam sadly replies. "Yeah, _right_. It seems that we both want a physical thing from each other, but I'm still hurt over that. Plus, I think I like someone else."

My eyes immediately widen; did she say what I think she said? "Oh... who's the lucky… uh, person?" I feel my eyes shift nervously, kind-of hoping she says it's me, but that's shallow; if she doesn't like me, then why should I force her to say me?

Instead of answering, she places her hand on my chin, tilting my head up a little. She leans in closer, as slow and as agonizing as it could get, but on impulse, I speedily close the gap, so most bumping our gums together. We both giggle into the kiss, sloppily, leaning into each other so much that I'm basically on top of her on the love seat.

Maybe that's why they call it a love seat; two people can love, on the seat! I giggle again at the thought, sending vibrations against—

I hear a knock on the door, making me pull away from her immediately. I sigh exasperatingly; every time I'm doing something, I always get interrupted! "Cat, _please_ open the door, I need to talk to you! And you haven't been picking up your phone!" After hearing the calm but apprehensive voice of Tori, I immediately stand, while Sam hides in the kitchen.

"Uh, hi, Tori. What's up?" I ask through the door.

"I need your help, please, I don't know what to do!" She replies frantically. I open the door and let her in while she paces the foyer back and forth. Can I just say, déjà vu?

"Do about _what_?" I interrogate.

"Valentine's Day," Tori replies, still pacing my foyer. "I want to ask someone to the dance, but they might reject me."

"Is it someone we know?" I ask stupidly, although I know exactly who it is. I mean, seriously... why wouldn't it be?

"Yeah," she says reluctantly.

"You can tell me who it is," I reassure her. "I told you this earlier - I will not tell anyone or no one, I will not post it on TheSlap, and I will definitely not tell Jade. You have my word."

"That's the problem: it's her!" She exclaims. "I know she and Beck broke up yesterday, but they can easily get back together, and go to the dance with each other. I - I kind of like her."

I refrain myself from rolling my eyes or saying something sarcastic; seriously this is just simple déjà vu right now. "She and Beck won't get back together."

"How do you know that?" Tori frowns negatively. "That's what I thought when they broke up after being the worst couple ever on television, but they get back together."

God I hate lying. "Look, they're not getting back together. That's all I can tell you. Plus she's my best friend; I know her better than anyone else."

"Then you must know _something_," she says, pointing at me.

I immediately put a defense mechanism around me, trying to avoid revealing the truth. God knows what'll Jade do this time if I say anything about this. "Uh - I don't know what you're talking about! Oh! Yes mom, I'll be right there! Sorry Tori, but you have to go! My mom needs help giving my brother his anti-psychotics! He's resisting them again!" I open the door and push the skinny Latina out of my house, with all of my strength. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, bye!" Before she can reply outrageously, I slam the door on her face, and all I can hear is a very loud 'OW!' before I yell out, "Sorry Tori!"

I breathe a very long sigh of relief and lean my back against the door. "The coast's clear."

As if on cue, Sam appears with a fat cake stuffed in her mouth. "Sorry - you just have a lot of fat cakes." She says with her mouth full, and I giggle slightly. She swallows the rest of her fat cake, and stares at me. "We always get interrupted, don't we?"

"Yeah, but everyone should be satisfied for the rest of the day. I don't see why we can't continue."

I'm well aware I'm flirting; it gets her full attention anyway. She simply drops her fat cake and saunters over to me, while I gesture a simple but teasing 'come here' to her. I giggle when she grabs my hand and pushes me swiftly against the wall, closing the gap between us ferociously. I grunt into the kiss, and use my free hand to touch her blond, curly hair. It's softer than I thought it would be, and I find myself getting my fingers lost into it. She lets go of my hand and I place that hand on her neck, drawing her closer.

Her hands roam my body teasingly, causing me to gasp a little. The small gasp causes her to take initiative, slipping her tongue inside my mouth. I can taste the fat cake from earlier; the sweet taste sending shocks all over my body. It almost makes me push her against the door, but I decide against it. I suddenly start to feel a little light-headed, forgetting how to breathe altogether.

I pull away slightly, panting through my nose. "So... you like _me_, huh?"

"I thought you already knew that," she giggles.

"Just confirming," I whisper suggestively. She smirks back, and reaches for my hand, interlacing our fingers together. "I know this is sudden, but would you like to go to the Valentine's Dance with me? It's on the 14th, and since Northridge isn't having a dance, I thought—"

"Yes, of course I will." She gives me a grin, finalizing my answer. But just to be sure...

"Are you sure, I mean the school's pretty big, and they might find you and—"

"Not scared in the least," Sam shrugs, like her celebrity—or former celebrity—status never got to her head. It's one of the things I appreciate about her, and what makes me like her more each day. "If anything, I'd be glad to see Hollywood Arts in person."

I beam, and crash my lips against hers in a silent thank-you.

-x-

The next day, I walk inside the school more happier than the last time, but it suddenly crashes and burns the minute I see both Tori and Jade standing by their locker. I see bandages on Tori's nose since I broke it yesterday, and they both look a little mad. I suck it up and make a hasty retreat past my locker—

"Cat! Get your ass over here!" Jade yells, pulling the hem of my dress and dragging me over to the two of them.

"I didn't do anything!" I shriek defensively. "I didn't say anything, I didn't post anything I swear! I kept my mouth shut the entire time. I didn't even get on TheSlap yesterday night, nor did I speak to anyone last night—"

"That's _not_ what we pulled you here for!" They both yell back, scaring the shit out of me. They look at each other, and then back at me.

"Then what? You're both scaring me," I ask, hoping they would at least move so I can open my locker.

They glance at each other again, then back at me. "Well…" Tori starts. "What's with you? You've been more secretive since the beginning of the month."

"Yeah," Jade chimes in.

"And if you haven't noticed, you pushed me out of your house and _broke_ my nose!" Tori exclaims.

Seriously, I _hate_ lying. "I don't know... pressure from school? Can I get my books—"

"_No_!" They say in unison.

"Then what do you _want_ to know?" I ask defensively. I don't exactly want to tell them, and I don't know what to reveal, but every time they glare at me, I feel like I'm going to crack. Once I crack, it would be over for me, either way.

"You kicked me out yesterday, and broke my nose," Tori states the obvious.

"And you gave me _great_ advice," Jade continues.

"Ugh - and they were for the _same_ reason!" I exclaim. "Both of you love each other, and you're too scared to let it show because the both of you are too _damn_ insecure to let it go. I'm sorry - I tried to keep both secrets, but you both fail to recognize there's _so_ much I can handle. Do me a favor, and put a _fucking_ ring on it! And _stop_using me as a shitty password journal." Without hearing their flabbergasted replies, I run away from them, as fast as I can, not really caring where I'm going. I know I said too much, but seriously, they were really stomping on my nerves for the last time.

I settle myself inside the Black Box theater, since no one comes in here unless necessary. It's always quiet in here, and well… black. I've never felt so mad, even when I remember the time of being deprived of bibble. Only my two close friends in the entire world would bring me down with their drama because they like each other. I don't like being used for that; I'm not _exactly_ a password journal. I have problems keeping secrets, and I _really_ hate lying, but sometimes it can get people out of things—

My thoughts, again interrupted when I hear the door open. I immediately hide behind the curtains, hoping whoever entered the Black Box theater wouldn't find me.

"She's not in here," I hear Tori say.

"How would you know? You haven't looked hard enough!" The booming, intimidating voice of Jade echoes through the small theater.

"We just got here," she states.

"Really, I felt like I've been here for an hour," Jade deadpans. "Come on, we have to look for her."

"For what exactly? She's right!" Tori exclaims. "You like me, I like you. And the only way it's going to get any better is if we actually let our insecurities go and stop using Cat as a password journal. You know how she is with secrets."

Thank you Tori, for understanding. "I know, but I feel that she's still hiding something else. I mean, she doesn't get angry like that unless she's hiding something. I've known her long enough."

"How about you stop worrying about her right now, and agree to take me to the dance on Thursday," Tori pathetically flirts, and I _almost_ know that she's poking Jade on the side. "I mean, it's _only_ fair."

"Okay, but you have to agree with what we're wearing for that night," the dark-haired girl relents, and I know Tori is frowning right now without me looking straight at them. "It's _only_ fair!" She says in the Southern belle accent she uses on Tori. "And, I will not tolerate you wearing something you _randomly_ picked out of Trina's closet… on our first dance together."

"Aw, I thought I'd never hear you say that!" The brunette beams.

"Shut up," Jade chuckles. "Now, can we look for her, or are you going to _pathetically_ flirt with me again?"

As I hear both combat boots and heels hitting the floor, I move slightly, to see if they won't see me escape. While they have their back turned, I keep moving, and as I reach for the door, I feel another tug on my skirt.

"I didn't do it!" I scream as I feel my weight being lifted by Jade.

"Yeah yeah, we know you didn't do anything," Tori deadpans, while Jade carries me to a chair. "We're just gonna chat for a while."

"About what?" I ask.

"The truth," Jade replies, softening her glare but still being a little scary. "Everything; why you've been avoiding us, and why you lead Robbie on."

"I told you, I only wanted to be friends with him," I groan. "I never wanted anything more from him. It was just that… I was used to him asking me out on events like that and then me saying no."

"You can't play with his emotions like that, he's like a _girl_!" Jade exclaims. "And we both know that isn't the _real_ reason."

"Come on - you can tell us," Tori smiles reassuringly. "We trusted you, and you should be able to trust us. We won't tell anyone."

"Or no one," Jade smirks.

"We won't post it on TheSlap either."

"And we _definitely_ won't tell Robbie," they both say in unison. "Case-sensitive, your secret is safe with us."

I roll my eyes, "I never realized how ridiculous that sounded until now—"

"Cat! Stop stalling already!" Tori frowns.

"Fine," I groan, letting all my walls down for the first time in a long time. "The reason why I told Robbie that we should be friends is because I'm a lesbian. And the reason why I kicked you out, and blew you off is because I've been seeing someone. Breaking your nose was completely your fault; you were too close to the door." I exhale slightly, and continued. "And just yesterday I asked her to be my date for the Valentine's Dance and she said yes. So… uh, that's why I've been all secretive and happy and stuff."

There's a very long pause, and I refuse to look at my two friends right now. However, the silence is killing me. "Oh god - why is it so quiet all of a sudden? Do you guys hate me or something? Did I reveal too much—"

"No, you didn't," Tori interrupts, and I refuse to look at the caring smile on her face. "We were surprised."

"Yeah," Jade agrees. "I mean… uh - it's surprising how you kept all of this from us. Normally you would have told everyone, and their mothers."

"And then some," Tori mutters.

"I know, but I know that this would make everyone look at me more weirdly than they have to," I whine. "I mean, the air-headed girl with the red hair likes girls as well; do you think that would sound right?"

"Not as wrong as the two _sworn_ enemies suddenly having a budding romance," Tori shrugs. "But I'm willing to take that step, and we all know Jade doesn't care either. So, why shouldn't you?"

"You're right," I sigh.

There's a small silence - "What are you doing for the dance on Thursday?"

"I don't know," I reply. "I'm pooped out when it comes to song. But I'm fine in everything else."

Tori nods, and then looks at Jade. The goth gives her a somewhat knowing look; I've seen that look too many times and I'm not sure if I'm happy about what she has to say now. She might do something completely evil, and I'm just going to fall for it and get hurt or something. It's not that I can't trust her… trust me, I can, but sometimes Jade's a very scary person, and she might do something hurtful.

"We can help you on your song dilemma," she grins.

"We can?" Tori queries, with a look of apprehension.

"Yes, we can," Jade replies, and turns her head to Tori with a silent meaning. "I know the perfect song you can sing for the dance, and we'll offer our backup vocals for it."

"We are?" Tori queries again.

"What is it?" I ask, ignoring Tori's question.

The goth stares at the both of us, and offers another grin - a suggestive, mischievous grin that I don't like. I don't like, or know, where this is going, but since I need something to do during the dance, I'm practically desperate.

-x-

I fix myself up in front of the mirror, while I hear a performance happening in the back. I don't know who it is, but it makes me even more nervous. I agree to have a trio instead of a solo, since I couldn't really conjure a song, and the choice… I'm still surprised at Jade's choice of music when I first heard it since she hates that type of music actually. I go through the lyrics again, making sure I have every words pack down into my memory.

"You ready?" I hear Tori ask, peering from the door with a smile.

I nod, fixing my curly hair in the mirror a little. "Yes."

"You know, I _still_ can't believe your girlfriend is Sam," the Latina says mindlessly, with a grin. "Then again, I never expected her to move from Seattle at all."

"Yeah me neither," I reply, and we leave the dressing room, and with every step I can feel my nerves. I shouldn't feel this way since I've done this so many times, but since I'm singing it in front of someone that I really like then all of the anticipation is replaced with nervousness. I take a couple of deep breaths and suddenly I'm standing in front of Jade, with the performance of the night finally finished. It's with a couple of other students that I don't really know.

I look at the rest of the students: I see my other best friends Robbie, Beck, and André talking to each other, or rather André pretending to listen to Robbie's constant complaining and Beck shaking his head at his friend. They look at me and wave, and I nonchalantly wave back.

If only I can see her face for one minute…

"Cat, let's go," Jade takes my arm and pulls me onto the balcony, where the small band is at. I follow her up the stairs, while I hear Sinjin announce the next performer, which is me. I hear some clapping and some whistles; mainly from my friends.

I breathe in and out as I grab the microphone from Sinjin's grip, and stare at the ground before me. Everyone looks like ants from up here—no, I have to focus here. I have to. From the corner of my eye, I see a rush of blond hair, and that's the motivation I needed when the slow beat starts behind me.

"Girl if I told you I love you, that doesn't mean that I don't care," I start off, trying so hard not to hit that soprano since it wouldn't fit. "And when I tell you I need you, don't you think that I'll never be there."

In sync, both Tori and Jade softly sing the bridge of the song, with their hands lightly slapping their thighs. If I'm not mistaken, some of our friends start to lip sync it since it's a known song, but since I'm focusing on that one person I'm singing to, I wave it off.

"Cupid doesn't lie. But you won't know unless you give it a try. True love won't lie, but we won't know unless we give it a try…"

The soft ballad makes everyone stand with their partners, and start slow dancing. I even see Trina start to slow dance with Sinjin. Starting the second verse, I start descending down the stairs, and staring at the blond beauty, who's blushing furiously. I grin widely, as both Tori and Jade repeat the bridge and the chorus. I realize they're behind me the minute I feel Jade's long arm drape around my shoulders, and place her head on my temple, in a half hug.

"Ain't no doubt about it. Lord knows, I really mean it. I rather die before, before I lie to you," I belt out, in a higher octave, causing some of the students to cheer me on. "Never wanna leave you. Ain't no life without you. Never gonna leave, never gonna go…"

As soon as I finish the line, I get lost in my own world, hitting my highest pitch possible.  
As the song repeats the chorus one last time, I look into her ocean blue eyes again; the same eyes that had the attraction from before. I couldn't tear myself from her eyes, not even for a moment; it seems like I was frozen in an intense eye lock but everything else around me moves, albeit slowly.

I snap out of it once the song finishes, and everyone claps as I grab Sam by the hip and start to kiss her passionately in front of my friends. The last thing I hear is a recognizable whistle and the horrible sound of the microphone falling on the floor before I'm lost in a sea of love.

Nothing can get any better than this.


End file.
